Even Fallen In Love, with someone you shouldnt have, Pete Shelley memorial mural by Akse P19, in Leigh town centre, Greater Manchester, England

Initiated by The Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign, the new 200msq mural sits at the heart of the late punk rocker’s hometown. Huge new mural of punk rock singer and guitarist Pete Shelley has appeared in Leigh, Greater Manchester Created in tribute to the late punk rock icon, it sits in the heart of the community where he was born and grew up and still has family today. Based on the cover of The Buzzcocks’ 1978 single Ever Fallen In Love and a portrait of Shelley, created by artist Chris Gabrin in the same year, it’s been designed by artists Malcolm Garrett and Akse P19. The latter is well known in the city for his photo-realistic portraits of pop culture icons, and his work is often seen popping up in prime locations across Manchester. Situated close to Leigh Town Hall and the historic Turnpike Centre, the new mural is Akse’s biggest yet – sitting smack bang in the heart of Leigh. Initiated by The Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign, it has taken over three years of fundraising in order to complete the project. At a whopping 200 meters squared, it’s not an easy one to miss if you’re in the area and has taken around a week to complete – with the finishing touches, including a final coat of protective varnish, being applied by the street artist this afternoon. Whilst the artwork has been unfolding over the past week, locals have had some fun trying to guess who it might be – with Akse posting a range of updates to his social media showing the piece at various stages of completion “Pete was always incredibly proud of his northern roots, and we hope that the mural will help Pete’s legacy live on and inspire more young artists and musicians to break down barriers and follow their dreams”